So far in this series, Paul has made his case for a single, diverse community of Christ-followers reflective of the new humanity in Christ. This community does not force Gentiles to become Jewish, but also shows respect to Jews, Christian and otherwise, for being God’s chosen people. In the next section, Romans 12-15, Paul explores … Continue reading Living Sacrifices, Transformed not Conformed: Romans 12.1-2
Since we’ve come to the end of another major section in Paul’s Letter to the Romans, it’s time for another targum, a loose explanatory paraphrase of the text: [9.1-5] I’m telling you the truth from my deepest Christian heart, and the Holy Spirit and conscience will both attest to this: My heart is broken … Continue reading God’s Plan for God’s People: A Targum on Romans 9-11
There has been a recent bookish social media trend in which content creators have been putting out a personal long list of thirteen titles from all of the Booker long lists this century, and identifying a 'winner' from that list. I thought it would be fun to play along here, so that will be the … Continue reading Culture Roundup (August 22, 2026): Best 21st-Century Booker Books?
[I couldn’t think of a good way to break Romans 11 up into two studies. So, I did it all in one study, but have broken it up into two parts because of length. Please see the previous post for a discussion of the major themes and argument structure.] Explore (continued) Scriptural Metaphors Paul grounds … Continue reading God’s Inscrutable Mystery: Romans 11 (Part 2)
Romans 9-11 represents Paul’s great argument, against Gentile frustration, anger, and derision, on behalf of his own Jewish people. In chapter 9, he argued that God’s faithfulness and justice have never been dependent on Israel’s faithfulness; God is free to show mercy upon whomsoever God chooses, and the operative word there is mercy. Then in … Continue reading God’s Inscrutable Mystery: Romans 11 (Part 1)
Matthew Root 